Red faced at White Hart Lane

16082009

Liverpool got off to a dreadful start to their campaign with a 2-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart lane. The reds were listless for large chunks of the game and it showed in the number of genuine opportunities that Tottenham had. Both goals were conceded as a consequence of free kicks and there will be some stern talk in the Liverpool dressing room.

Tottenham got their first goal in the dying minutes of the second half. Liverpool who have traditionally started the second half of a football game with zest were matched by an equally zestful Tottenham. New red arrival, Glen Johnsons, dashing foray into the Tottenham penalty box was rewarded with a penalty in the 56th minute as he was upended by Tottenham goalkeeper Gomes. Gerrard’s perfect penalty got Liverpool back 1-1 into the game. However, three minutes Tottenham scored again as Liverpool were increasingly cutting a forlorn figure.

The introduction of Benayoun in favor of the terribly torpid Babel injected some life into the game but Tottenham stuck to their task and ensured that status quo was maintained. There was a definite penalty in the late stages of the game as Torres was brutishly shouldered in the penalty box but the referee didn’t think so and was quite wrong. The matched stayed 2-1 and Liverpool will be under immense pressure, what with all their main competitors getting their first 3 points in the bag.

This is probably the worst start that Liverpool could have ever dreamed of and although it is just the first week of action, we all know how things are in the Premier League with every point dropped proving very costly.